New Release Book Review: Modern Heart by Belinda Williams

November 27, 2015sydneygen Leave a comment

modernheartcover

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

Limited time only: Dream career! Perfect man! The catch? Emotional availability.
Scarlett Wong has a reputation for toughness. A talented and often feared Creative Director at an award-winning Sydney advertising agency, she doesn’t do relationships, she doesn’t invite men home, and she never stays the night. The only people who see her softer side are her three closest girlfriends, and they’re finally convinced they’ve found her perfect man: John Hart.
Scarlett’s never been one to back down from a challenge and she’s not going to start now. But when John secures Scarlett an invitation from one modernheartteaser1 of New York’s leading galleries to exhibit her artwork, it means putting herself out there like never before. Scarlett’s perfect man wouldn’t interfere in her life like this – would he?
For a woman who thinks she’s not scared of anything, Scarlett is about to discover she’s not as tough as she thinks. Will she take the chance to turn her secret passion into a career, risk the safety of her advertising career, and let John in? Or will old habits die that little bit too hard?

SGMyReview

Belinda Williams has continued to excel in bringing together characters with emotion and substance. IN her latest release, Modern Heart, she will have you cringing, cheering, and hoping that emotions don’t ruin everything.

Scarlett Wong is a self-proclaimed emotionally detached career woman. Having been pressured all her life to do the things she doesn’t love Scarlett finds it hard to accept that she may just be good at something she loves, art. In the book she battles with her relationship with a controlling mother. A strict Chinese immigrant, Scarlett’s mum sees her daughter as an academic, not an artist. This has meant Scarlett carries scars throughout the story. Can she begin the heal these scars as she gets older, and discover that art is her true passion?!

Enter Mr. Perfect. John ‘bloody’ Hart. All her friends know he’s the guy for her, but she has so many personal issues she’s not willing to let him in. They’ve met before, in book one, but things finally begin change when she decides to take a chance. This book is so much more than boy and girl get together. There is a lot of emotion and it flicks between Scarlett remembering significant events from her childhood, and the present. This book really is about a woman coming to terms with herself, and the choices in her life that she has control over.

I really enjoyed reading the dynamics of the friends, again. Being set in Sydney is really fun to read, and I love to imagine exactly where they may be (just as I did in The Pitch – book 1). Modern Heart is the perfect next installment in the City Love series. A mixture of friendship, cynicism, coming to terms with who you are, and finding that life leads a tricky road. This book is all about navigating through choices you make in life, and how it can be so much better with friends, and love.

Publisher Purchase Link

FREE STUFF!

You’ve still got a couple of days to pick up a copy of THE BOYFRIEND SESSIONS for FREE or THE PITCH for 99c. Tell your friends or family!
Nov 15 books promotion

**I was provided a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Momentum Books for the opportunity to review**

Sunday Spotlight: Authors On Show – Lauren Dawes

March 8, 2015sydneygen Leave a comment

About the Author:

Born in South Africa and raised in Sydney, Lauren Dawes is an urban fantasy/paranormal romance writer and the author of the Dark Series. In 2009, she quit her full-time Teaching English as a Second Language job to finally begin writing “that book”, letting her over-active imagination pour out onto the digital pages. She currently lives with her husband and daughter in whatever city the army happens to post them to.

Genres: Paranormal – Urban Fantasy

Lauren’s Books:

A FIGHT FOR THEIR LIVES

A battle for werewolf territory and rights has Rhett fighting for his life and for the survival of the pack. The last Half Blood –a half human, half vampire hybrid–has been found and Rhett has been chosen as her unlikely Guardian. The pack’s survival hangs on her completing her transformation, but a Sicarii–a vampire assassin–is hunting her to ensure that never happens…

A DARK SECRET REVEALED

Indigo’s hard exterior is nothing compared to the dark secret she carries within her. Her haunted eyes alone tell of her struggle and desire to live. But what she doesn’t know is that she is hard-wired for survival; the very blood in her veins and the legacy of her father demands it. But when her life takes a violent turn, her heritage and her fate may be the very thing to get her killed…

If you love vampires, werewolves and a bit of intrigue, “Half Blood” is the book for you!

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Length: 230 pages

Price: $2.99

The time of Odin is over. The Aesir gods now live among the humans in their bustling modern cities. Their brutal dominion over the other gods and their eradication of the entire dark elf race may have ended, but their actions have not been forgotten.

Korvain is one of the last full-blooded dark elves, and is feared like no other. His ruthlessness and cold heart are legendary, but when he is given the task of killing one of the most fabled goddesses of all time, he is left with an undeniable desire to make her his own. Failure in his task means only one thing: death. Will he follow his orders, or will he follow his heart?

Bryn’s whole world crumbled when she left Odin’s service to protect the other valkyries. Now living with the humans, she is the only thing standing between them and total destruction. But her beliefs are about to be shaken to the core when she meets Korvain—a volatile, completely irresistible dark elf who threatens to take away more than just her innocence …

At the time of posting – this book is FREE at the publishers website!

USA UK

The time of the Aesir gods is over. Now they live amongst the humans in their bustling modern cities. Their brutal dominion over the gods and humans may have ended, but their actions have not been forgotten.

With the death of Adrian still haunting Taer’s every waking breath, she dreams of getting revenge on the dark elf responsible for her brother’s murder. But when the one person she’s depending on to train her in the art of weaponry refuses to help, she has no other choice but to get instruction from the most unlikely of people. Driven by an undeniable desire, Taer finds herself learning more than just how to fight.

Eir, the goddess of healing, has had her spirit destroyed with the death of her twin at the hands of a deranged god. Still struggling with her loss, she is merely surviving each day. That is until a chance encounter with a human shows her that her broken heart can be mended in the simplest of ways.

USA UK

1. How would you describe the writing to publishing process? Any fun analogies?

My writing to publishing process is like being in a relationship. Sometimes you love the book, sometimes you want to stab it in the heart for mistreating you, but at the end of the day you stick together and see it through because that’s just what you do. For many authors, they can knock out a book in about a month. I, unfortunately, am not one of those people. Urban fantasy takes a little more research and world building in order to make it good. At the minimum, writing a book will take me six months, and another six months of editing, editing, editing and then proofreading. Maybe then it’ll be ready for some beta readers. I don’t rush the process. I’m putting my name to the story. I want to be known for having great, well-thought out stories, not just hastily thrown together ones. The day you hit the publish button is a good day though because you know you’ve done all you can.

2. Are you a plotter or a fly by the seat of your pants type writer?

I’m definitely a plotter. The first book I ever published was written without a plan and it took me three and a half years because I kept changing things to make it better. If I’d taken the time to plot, it wouldn’t have taken so long. I’m also meticulous when it comes to characters and the geography of my books. I have notebooks filled with character descriptions and maps to make sure I don’t have any plot holes.

3. Do you listen to music or are you a silence in the library writer?

I listen to music, but what I listen to changes with the tone of the scene. For example, if I’m writing a love/sex scene, the music I like is more ballads and love songs. If I’m writing about a murder scene or a fight (definitely more my style) then I listen to something heavier, or something with a faster beat and usually with a lot of swearing.

4. You’re going to a deserted island and you’re allowed 3 books to read for the rest of your life… which books and why?

I’d probably take Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” because it’s a classic. I’d also take any two randomly chosen books by J.R.Ward. That woman can do no wrong.

Thanks so much to Lauren for joining me this week. Have a fantastic week everyone – I’ll post some reviews this week – don’t forget to send me your Teasers for Tuesday – and join me next week for another Author Spotlight…

Review: The Boyfriend Sessions by Belinda Williams

November 8, 2014sydneygen 1 Comment

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit

Please take your seats. The journey to happiness may involve some turbulence.

Christa Morrison has commitment issues, a fact that quickly becomes apparent after she flees a romantic proposal in Paris, the thunder of impending wedding bells ringing in her ears.

Back in Sydney, she turns to her closest friends for reassurance. Instead they offer her a startling and painful diagnosis: she’s a relationship junkie. The cure? An extreme rehabilitation program guaranteed to reform even the most L-word illiterate.

With her girlfriends along for the ride, Christa commits to their radical plan and the chances of recovery look good. The only problem is Max Spencer. The one guy Christa—and her friends—never expected her to fall for. But he’s proving to be a temptation she may not have the willpower to resist …

For a shot at happiness, is being with Max worth betraying her friends? And will Christa have the strength to trust her heart when her colorful relationship history comes back to haunt her?

It might just be enough to make a poor girl leave the country (again).

I saw the cover for this and it piqued my curiosity! This a new release you need to get onto! The Boyfriend Sessions is a great read. Christa is always running away from commitment, but doesn’t know why, or how to stop it. After a surprise proposal in Paris, she runs back to Australia and finds comfort with her friends. All is not as it seems though, as the friends band together and put her through her paces, imposing a man-ban and starting weekly counseling sessions over wine (WINNING – I mean, great idea!).

I loved reading this book. The author does a lovely job of creating believable situations and scenery, and as I was reading about all the places in Sydney, I could see it clear as a sunny harbour day. So much fun to think about walking exactly where the characters were walking, or sitting, or doing boot camp! There were times where I was sad, or my heart was clenching a bit. There were also times were I smiled and fist pumped. All through the book, although I was a little frustrated with her, I still found Christa to be likeable. The way the author writes her, you have empathy and compassion for her past, rather than thinking she’s an idiot for just “not getting it”.

This was a well thought out story and one I highly recommended if you’re after a lovely Aussie based romance to read on a sunny day.

And just in case you weren’t sure.. here’s a little Max-spiration from the author’s website!

Authors Website: Goodreads: Facebook : Twitter

CLICK FOR VARIOUS BUYING LINKS

*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley
in exchange for an honest review – very glad so say I loved it!

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